Log of our Fifth trip of 2011

Punderson State Park

Newbury, Ohio

Camp Office:  (440) 564-1195
Park Office:  (440) 564-2279
 
November 3-6, 2011
Mileage:     Start 34,009     Home 36,108
Miles:  99
Attended:  Dad, Gracie Allen, Moosie

Click any of the images for a higher resolution picture

Punderson, although it has a very poorly designed Campground, is a winter wonderland.  It has ample snow and things to do in the snow.  It's the only or at least the only close-to-Cleveland electrical-available winter camp. It is about an hour east of North Olmsted, Ohio.

 

November 3

We've broken the all time record rainfall otherwise I'd been out prior to this.  The weekends have not just been rainy, they have been deluges of heavy, gray extended rain.  Inch falling after inch.  Horrible!

No matter.  Here we are.  A nice trip out and I've found a very nice site that has a wonderful fire pit overlooking Punderson Lake.  Site 23 is level although the electricity gave me fits.

The leaves are past peak but there are still a lot of areas of brilliant orange.  Fluorescent, or as close as nature can get to fluorescent orange.

Prior to leaving I told the dogs that dinner could wait our arrival at Punderson.  Then they wanted to head out on a nice long walk all through the park.  So be it.  Dinner waited again.

After dinner the pump started cycling and I found the pressure relief valve on the hot water tank had tanked.  A trip up State Route 44 to the Chardon Home Depot brought a replacement that was not the correct size but an adapter fixed things right up.

Tired.  Sore.  Camping again!

November 4

I was terribly hot in bed this morning only to throw the covers off and find the motorhome was fifty degrees.  Needed a bit more heat.  That says a lot for the comforter on the bed.

Took a short walk and then drove home for a meeting.  Came back, ate and took a nice long walk.  Had a nice fire.

 

 

November 5

Eventually I will learn that I need to transfer the raw photos off my camera's SD card and work on them in a directory on the hard drive.  I blasted a few nice photos.  I can take them again, though I'm not sure Grace wants to do that walk again.

The park is filling up with people who are coming in on Saturday morning as the weekend is so beautiful.  I was going to plug into three sites due to the crappy electricity.  I only plugged into two and then pulled the cord on that one in case someone wanted the site.  It'll be returned if no one arrives to take that site.

Ready for fire number two:

Went out with Nadette to eat.  We met Frank, Mike, Chip, Shelly, Kenny and xxx.  A wonderful meal and a fun time!

Nadettte and I returned to the box at 11 pm.  The night was clear and crisp, I managed to get her out for a fire.  The night was so perfect we didn't go in until about 3 am.  A perfect night with a perfect fire.

November 6

A wonderful morning.  Nadette, I, Grace and Moose took a very nice walk.  We went out to Belle's American Grill in Burton for breakfast.  The rain held off and I was able to get the box back, in and parked in very nice weather.


What's with Punderson???
Are they trying to dissuade people from visiting???

Is Punderson purposely trying to be the worst park in the system?

 

 

 

 

1.  Electric

Punderson is the last (as far as I know) park to have old twenty amp service to the sites.  Twenty amps is probably overstating what is available.  If you can get fifteen amps from a site, consider yourself lucky.  Then they took out all the outlets and, using the same decades-old existing boxes, installed ground fault outlets.  The boxes are full of bugs, bug carcasses, spiderwebs and all sorts of nasties that do a great job of allowing current to flow across the circuits.  This causes the ground fault outlets to be extremely sensitive.  I can sometimes get one working by using contact cleaner and blasting the back of the outlet through the holes in the box.  Yeah.  It is that bad.

 

 

 

 

2.  Tent only sites

Punderson has designated a significant number of sites "tent only".  Why?  And why the level sites?  As sites go, Punderson  has very few level sites.  Most were blasted in with no care as to the need to be level.  Then they go and take away a significant number of really nice sites from those campers who return to the park the most.  It is that bad.

And it is NOT the economy!

OH!  THE ECONOMY!  No, I think not.  Two park tax issues ago, I believe in the early 1990s, the state promised Punderson would be upgraded.  That issue passed.  Many parks were upgraded, all of the parks up and around Cleveland.  No upgrade was done at Punderson.  The next bond issue passed and Punderson was again ignored.

And it is NOT the Punderson employees!

Punderson employees are polite, kind and helpful.  Something is wrong further up the chain.

So, what's with Punderson???

 


For up-to-date park maps and information, check the

Ohio State Park website for Punderson State Park


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